Apparel-pad.



'No. 64!,526. Patented Ian. I6, I900.

I. LUWENTHAL.

APPAREL PAD.

(Application' filed Aug. 29, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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'NITED STATES PATENT rric.

ISIDORE LClWENTI-IAL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

APPAREL-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,526, dated January 16, 1900.

Application filed August 29, 1899. Serial No. 728,910. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Isrnonn LoWENTHAL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparel-Pads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to pads that are employed to shape the shoulders or other parts of articles of wearing-apparel; and it consists of a pad composed of a mass of fleecy material molded in proper shape to fit the shoulder and having one of its surfaces grooved for the purpose of giving flexibility to the pad, all as more fully hereinafter described and particularly claimed.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is plan View of a shoulder-pad with my invention applied thereto, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional View.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a pad of the form referred to,of a crescent shape, having a thicker part at about the median line of the arc of the segment and which gradually decreases in thickness from the inner periphery of the pad to its outer periphery and from such central point to its terminal ends. The upper surface of this pad is provided with grooves B and the under surface is aplane. The composition of the pad preferably comprises fleecy fibrous material, which can be shaped by molding while in the con dition of pulp and is homogeneous in contra- The material instead of being altogether fibrous may be made of a mixture of fibrous and other material, or other material altogether, so long as it is capable of being molded, pressed, formed, and out in shape and is of a flexible nature and of such composition as will receive and retain the grooves B in its surface. The object of grooves B is to render the pad more flexible and at the same time maintain its strength and shape. Flexibility of such a pad has been obtained by cutting the edges of the pad or making cuts through its body or notches or slits in the edge; but it has been found that such cuts,slits, and notches weaken the body of the pad and permit it to be drawn apart too readily, make it too stretchy, and produce puckering, broken lines, or ridges in the surface, and by wear and strain effect its disintegration and finally destroy the Very object of the pad, which is to maintain the shoulder of a garment in a permanent and symmetrical shape. To this end my invention is to be distinguished from cuts, slots, or notches cut through or into the pad and which form ridges, gathers, corrugations, crimps, or folds, which would destroy the smoothness of the surface. The grooves B which I employ do not weaken the material, while by their formation the body of the material is reduced in thickness in the grooves, and thus creating the greater flexibility, being thus at the same time simply compressed or condensed along the grooves, thus maintaining and even increasing its strength.

The pad and grooves- B can be formed in various ways. One Way is to form the pulp in molds of suitable shape and then to apply a roller or rollers (mounted on a mandrel) to the pads to form the grooves. Another way is to insert spindlesinto the body of the pad and press the pulp around them, or to force the grooves down while the pulp is in its pli able shape. The grooves run vertically across the pad from edge to edge.

It is sometimes desirable in pads in order to strengthen the pad to employ a thin strip of tape D, of any suitable material, or a thin strip of wire or metal placed longitudinally in the body of the pad and running from edge to edge thereof, and when the tape is inserted in molding or forming the pad the grooves when formed will also be impressed into such binding. This binding strengthens the pad in handling and prevents it from being pulled apart.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is 1. A shoulder-pad comprising a crescentshaped body of pulpy or fleecy material, the upper surface of which is unbroken, and its lower surface provided with grooves im- In testimony whereof I affix my signature pressed therein, substantially as described. in presence of two witnesses.

2. A pad of the character described coma r posed of pulpy fleecy material and provided IbIDORE LOWEN PHAT" 5 with a central pliable binder, and having \Vitnesses:

grooves impressed in the surface of said pad GRAFTON L. MOGILL, and binder, substantially as described. MARCUS C. HOPKINS. 

